Lost and found in Cloverdale’s Bose Corn Maze

CLOVERDALE â€” In life, there are the eager beavers, the wanderers and those who stop to smell the roses.

And you learn a lot about which type you are during a trip through the Bose Corn Maze.

Me? I’m a wanderer, as is my mom.

But my cousin and her family, they’re all eager beavers.

For them, it was all about getting the job done – navigating through the weave of trails cut into the cornfields to get the puzzle completed as quickly as possible.

For me? It was more about an enjoyable walk through the farm. About visiting with my family and watching my children play in the dirt and look around in wonder at the scenery.

Dwarfed by corn plants of up to 13 feet in height, people pay up to $7 each for the thrill of walking the maze, which opened for the season in August and continues until harvest time in mid-October.

And on a recent evening, it was our turn.

Before the eight of us entered the Cloverdale fields, we were told a few things.

First, the maze is divided into two parts.

In each half, there are numbered posts with a set of trivia questions.

Get the questions right, and you’ll be led in the right direction.

Assuming you go the correct way, you will be led to the next numbered post.

And on and on it goes, until you make it all the way through.

Truth be told, I didn’t pay much attention to which way I was going. I knew I’d make it to the end eventually.

At one point, I unfolded a piece of paper the farm operator had given to my son before we began the adventure.

Turns out, it was a separate set of questions that led one through the maze – much easier questions, meant for children.

I won’t lie to you. My mother and I may have snuck a peak at the questions once or twice.

At one point during our journey through the second half of the maze, one of the farmers found my mother and I wandering around.

Clearly it was his job to find the lost folks, and nudge them into the right direction. Yes, that was us. And they’ll have you know – they haven’t lost anyone yet.

In our defense, the second half was more difficult than the first.

The pattern carved out of the cornfield probably had everything to do with that.

Each year, a different design is chosen. Past years have featured mazes done in the shape of the Grey Cup game logo, Hockey Canada and other designs. This year, the Vancouver Whitecaps’ current logo and original logo were cut into the fields, in celebration of the soccer team’s 40th anniversary.

The second design is far more intricate, thus making it much more difficult to find one’s way around.

That’s my excuse, anyway, and I’m sticking to it.

For those who are particularly adventurous, the maze stays open after dark – just be sure to remember to bring a flashlight.

And as an added bonus for nighttime maze-goers, once finished there are always marshmallows to roast at the fire pit.

But if you’re a wanderer, I suggest sticking to daylight. Not sure how I would have fared in the dark.

So go, give yourself a good amount of time to trek through the fields, and don’t forget to partake in some of the fun when you’re done.

There are toys and activities for the young ones, and my son particularly liked the area where kids can jump down into hay.

And one final parting tip: bring boots, or at least runners.

I, like the corn-maze amateur I am, wore flip-flops and my feet were nearly black after all was said and done.

The Cloverdale attraction is among the last three "big ones" in the region, says operator Mike Bose, along with one in Chilliwack and another in Pitt Meadows.

All three debuted at the turn of the century, when several more were in operation locally.

"For those other ones, the ones no longer open, the corn was grown only to make the maze," Bose told the Now last year.

"People who come to a farm like this to participate in agri-tourism, they want it to be real – corn for harvest. That’s the case for us and the other two."

The Bose Corn Maze is located at 64th Avenue and 156th Street in Surrey.